Olmert's departure sparks call for quick election

Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu today called for immediate elections in the wake of his rival Ehud Olmert’s decision to quit as prime minister.

Polls show the Likud Party of Mr Netanyahu, a former prime minister who takes a hard line on territorial concessions to the Arabs, would probably win a ballot if it were held today.

Mr Olmert threw Israel’s political system into turmoil yesterday by announcing he would take part in his Kadima Party’s leadership race in September, called because of a series of corruption allegations against him.

“This is a government that has come to the end of its road,” Mr Netanyahu said today. “It doesn’t make any difference who heads Kadima, they are all part to a string of failures by this government.”

Mr Olmert announced his decision to leave office in September amid a series of corruption probes. The most serious involves suspicions that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from a Jewish American fundraiser.

Israel’s political system allows his replacement as Kadima head to carry out his term, which was to have ended in November 2010.

It is possible that the next Kadima leader would not be able to form a coalition government, given the fractious and freewheeling nature of Israeli politics. If that happened, new elections would be called, and held early next year. Mr Olmert could remain as a caretaker prime minister during this time.

“The right thing to do when the prime minister goes is ... to let the people choose who will lead them and whoever is chosen, he is the one who will need to put together a government,” Mr Netanyahu said.

The internal turmoil could make it difficult for Mr Olmert to close deals with either the Palestinians or Syria – agreements that long have eluded Israeli leaders.

“The Arabs are asking themselves how useful an agreement with Olmert would be, because he is a self-proclaimed lame duck and he will have a hard time to get his deals approved,” said Yossi Alpher, an Israeli political analyst.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said Mr Olmert’s decision would change little.

“It’s true that Olmert was enthusiastic about the peace process, and he spoke about this process with great attention, but this process has not achieved any progress or breakthrough,” Malki said.

He said the Palestinians would deal with any Israeli government.

The top two contenders to succeed Mr Olmert in Kadima are Tzipi Livni, a centrist who enjoys widespread public support and is leading Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians, and Shaul Mofaz, a hawkish former defence minister and military chief who headed Israel’s security operations when it put down a Palestinian uprising eight years ago.

Public opinion surveys show Ms Livni polling strong, but Mr Mofaz gaining strength within Kadima and Mr Netanyahu generally trumping them both.

Since Mr Olmert became premier, police have launched six corruption investigations against him, all involving events that took place before he took office. The last over suspicions that he double- and triple-billed charities and government ministries for identical trips, delivered the final blow to his political career.

Mr Olmert, who has been dogged by corruption allegations throughout his career but never convicted, has denied any wrongdoing.

He also came under severe criticism for his handling of Israel’s war against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006 which ended without achieving its two declared aims: crushing Hezbollah or returning two soldiers whose captured sparked the conflict.

Their bodies were returned to Israel earlier this month as part of a prisoner swap.